William Mathews (1828–1901) was an English mountaineer,

botanist Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

land agent Land agent may be used in at least three different contexts. Traditionally, a land agent was a managerial employee who conducted the business affairs of a large landed estate for a member of the nobility or landed gentry, supervising the farming ...

and surveyor, who first proposed the formation of the

Alpine Club Alpine clubs are typically large social clubs that revolve around climbing, hiking, and other outdoor activities. Many alpine clubs also take on aspects typically reserved for local sport associations, providing education and training courses, se ...

of London in 1857.

Early life

He was the eldest of six sons of Jeremiah Mathews, a Worcestershire land agent, and his wife Mary Guest. Of his brothers, Charles Edward Mathews (1834–1905) and George Spencer Mathews (1836–1904) were also noted mountaineers. William was educated at

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College, formally the College of St John the Evangelist in the University of Cambridge, is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch L ...

Founding of the Alpine Club

Mathews had corresponded with F. J. A. Hort about the idea of founding a national mountaineering club in February 1857 and took the idea up with E. S. Kennedy on an ascent of the

Finsteraarhorn The Finsteraarhorn () is a mountain lying on the border between the cantons of Canton of Bern, Bern and Valais. It is the highest mountain of the Bernese Alps and the List of prominent mountains of Switzerland, most prominent peak of Switzerland. ...

on 13 August 1857 (the fifth ascent of the mountain and the first British ascent). Ad hoc meetings at Mathews's house near

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

proceeded during November, and the meeting at which the Alpine Club was founded took place on 22 December 1857 at Ashley's Hotel in London, chaired by Kennedy.

First ascents

* Grande Casse with guides

Michel Croz Michel Auguste Croz (22 April 1830 in Le Tour, Chamonix valley – 14 July 1865, on the Matterhorn) was a Chamoniard mountain guide of the Kingdom of Sardinia and the first ascentionist of many mountains in the western Alps during the golden ag ...

and E. Favre on 8 August 1860 * Castor with F. W. Jacomb and Michel Croz on 23 August 1861 * Monte Viso with F. W. Jacomb and Michel Croz on 30 August 1861 * Grandes Rousses with Thomas George Bonney, and Michel Croz with his brother Jean-Baptiste Croz in 1863

Publications

*'Mechanical properties of ice, and their relation to glacier motion', by William Mathews, President of the Alpine Club, in ''

Nature Nature is an inherent character or constitution, particularly of the Ecosphere (planetary), ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the Scientific law, laws, elements and phenomenon, phenomena of the physic ...

'', 24 March 1870 *''The Flora of Algeria: considered in relation to the physical history of the Mediterranean region and supposed submergence of the Sahara'' (London: Edward Stanford, 1880)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mathews, William 1828 births 1901 deaths Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge 19th-century British botanists English mountain climbers Presidents of the Alpine Club (UK)